It has been known for a long time to brake the wheels of aircraft by means of a friction brake having a certain number of friction elements, in particular stator disks and rotor disks. Proposals have been made to fit such braked wheels with an auxiliary member that provides energy dissipation by means other than friction, for example an electromagnetic or hydraulic member. Such auxiliary members dissipate the kinetic energy of the aircraft by producing electrical or hydraulic energy that can be recovered. This production of recoverable energy is accompanied by additional braking of the wheel, and advantage may be taken thereof to reduce the amount of wear of the friction elements of the friction brake.